Improved fire-board



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G. W. METCALF AND W. H. METCALF, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

Letters Patent No. 86,240, dated January 26, 1869. x

IMPROVED FIRE-BOARD.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, G. W. METCALF and W. H. ME'EGALF, of the city and county of Baltimore, and State of Maryland, have invented a new and improved Fire-Board; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a rear elevation Figure 2, a vertical cross-section through linexx of iig. l; and

Figure 3, a front View.

The object of this invention is to construct a simple, cheap, and neat fire-board, which can readily be extended or contracted in length and width, to adjust it to fire-places of diiierent sizes.

The board is composed of five pieces of sheet-metal, attached by suitable adjustable sliding locks, operatiu g on its rear side, as will be hereinafter described. The central piece, which may be described as the base-plate, upon which the others are supportedV and adjusted, is square or rectangular. The other four pieces are each in the form of a carpenters square, are arranged around the central piece, as shown clearly in ligs. 1 and 3, being constructed to slide in and out on said piece, so as to expand or contract the size of thewhole fireboard, and Vary its relative dimensions as may be de sired.

ln the drawings- A indicates the central piece, and

a (t a a are four grooves on its rear side, formed by lugs soldered to it or otherwise* attached, in which the blocks that hold the extension-pieces slide inward and outward.

B C D E are the extension-pieces, arranged as described, and each provided with avtlange, b c d e, respectively, extending along the whole length of one of its outer edges, and half way from the angle to the end on the other.

Each is also provided with a ange, b'c d e', respectively, extending the whole length oi its inner edge opposite and parallel to the-longer outside ange. of the piece. The flanges on one end of each piece, therefore, form a socket, in which that end of the contiguous piece which is not anged is inserted, and slides back and. forth. lhe flanges are closely bent down, so as to hold the sliding pieces securely.

As thus constructed, the board-can be expanded or contracted to any degree that may be required, not exceeding, in all, the width of the pieces B C D E.

.F is a bent metallic spring-clasp, one end of which lits into the grooves c a aa, sliding in and out in said grooves, the other end extending upward and then forward over the edge of the part B, G, D, or E, that may be adj acentto the clasp, and springing downwald against or toward such edge with considerable. force, in order to lock the edge of the extension-piece firmly to the centre-piece.

To assist it in doing this, an eccentric-lever, G, is pivoted to the end of it, 'and so arranged that when the handle of the lever is erect, or turned over backward, the pressure of the clasp on the edge ofthe extension-plate is but slight, if any, and the plate can be easily moved and adjusted, but when the lever is turned down, as seen in iigs. 1 and 2, it presses strongly down on the edge of the extensionplate, and clasps it irnrnovably to the centre-plate, firmly uniting the parts of the tire-board together.

The front side of the fire-boardmay be handsomely ornamented with avariety of designs. The whole ofthe centre-piece will always beshown, and may be covered with any kind of picture or design. The extensionplates will not always be fully shown, and the designs upon them should be of-such amature that as the tireboard is expanded or contracted, the design shall not be marred or its parts dislocated.I

Having thus described our inve'ntion,

What we claim as news and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A lire-board, constructed and operating asdescribed, so that it can be expanded or contracted t fit into tire-places of different sizes.

2. The combination ofthe plates A B C D E, when constructed to operate as above described.

3. The combination of thc spring-clasp F with the eccentric-headed lever G, when constructed to operate in connection with the several extension-plates and the centl'e-l'ilate, substantially as described.

4. The grooves et (1.a (t, in combinatipn with the lock F G, so as to allow the latter to slide back and forth, substantially as described.

G. W. METCALF. [1.. s.] W. H. ME'lCALF. [L. s.]

Witnesses:

G. A. WHEELER, C. A. Pnrrrr.

Witnesses:

GEO. F. HoBBs, C. A. PETTrr. 

